Super Slow Bloke's Iron Triathlon

Week away kills off training

2011-01-24T11:08:00.000+10:00

The week spent in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Warwick & Toowoomba severely affected my training for the week. Early starts, late nights, long drives, endless meetings etc had me heading out for a run only once. Came home on Saturday and proceeded to unpack and hit the sack nice & early. Slept through the Sunday alarm, before heading into work to catch up on stuff that had come in through the week.

In addition, I managed to put on the weight that I had taken off the previous week. I should be able to drop the extra 0.6kg for the next week to hit target at the start of Feb.

Australia Day is Wednesday, which will be an opportunity to get out again and get some more hours into the legs.

Swim - Nil
Bike Trainer - Nil
Run - 1:00 (1x1:00)
Weight - 82.1 kg

Still building

2011-01-16T11:38:00.002+10:00

After the big sessions late last week, this week started a little slower. Work and family life got involved as well, so I came to the weekend with only 1 run and 1 bike session. Both these sessions were only 90 mins as I struggled a bit with the after-effects of the bric sessions late last week. Pool still closed due to the inability to source chemicals after Rocky & Brisbane floods.

Saturday was a larger bric session. 2 hours on the bike followed by a 2 hr run. Although slow, I pulled up the following day in much better condition than I did last week, where the run was an hour less. Must be finally getting some base fitness into me.

The coming week will be difficult as I'm out of town for most of the week and will not have access to a bike. Hoping to get some pool time in, but that may be restricted ridiculous numbers of laps in a very small pool. On the upside, as long as I have a pair of runners, I should be able to get a good number of k's into the legs. Fingers crossed.

Swim - Nil
Bike Trainer - 3:30 (1x1:30 & 1x 2:00 bric)
Run - 3:30 (1x1:30 & 1x 2:00 bric)
Weight - 81.2kg

Bric week

2011-01-10T08:00:00.001+10:00

This week was supposed to focus on both bric sessions and swimming. Due to the floods, the local pool can't get the checmicals they need and have closed until further notice. Did manage to get in and do an hour swim. 200m, 1,300m and 500m. My final 500m time keeps falling, almost at 3 min pace and feeling stronger with each swim.

The bric sessions were more successful, with a 1 hr bike followed by 1 hr run on Friday. My run time was surprisingly the same as when I run fresh. Sunday saw another session with the bike being 2 hrs before the 1 hr run. Not only was the run at my normal speed, I ran a 6 month PB over the first 5 k.

Weekly totals:
Swim 1:00 - 1 session
Trainer 5:07 - 4 sessions (2 bric)
Run 2:13 - 3 sessions (all bric)
Weight 82.0kg

Getting Wet

2011-01-04T09:10:00.000+10:00

It's taken a while, but I finally got back in the water on Tuesday afternoon. According to the pool attendant, it was 169 days since my last visit. Took things easy, starting with a 100m paddle. Then attempted a 500m swim, but had to settle for 300m. Did another 2 sets of 300 and a final 100m to finish. Then thought, stuff it. Came here to swim 500m, so headed out again and did the 500m. All of this was done at snail's pace, over 3 mins per 100m. Thursday fared better with a 1k swim after the 100m warm-up. Finished with the same 500m swim knocking 2mins 9sec off Tuesday's time.

Looking at my training schedule to Cairns, there are 6 blocks of 4 weeks set out, with this week being the second week of the first block. I've decided to put all 3 disciplines together and do 1/3 of the ironman distance in the last weekend of the current block. That's Sat 15th or Sun 16th. Need to get my swim up to 1.3km in the next 2 weeks, ready to combine the three.

Jumped off the diet wagon new year's eve and weighed in at 83.8kg. Had been under 83kg for part of the week, so will get back where I'm supposed to be fairly quick.

Overall, the week wasn't bad, but could have been better.

Swim 1:40 - 2 sessions
Trainer 3:20 - 2 sessions
Run 2:07 - 2 sessions

Starting right

2010-12-27T12:23:00.001+10:00

After having the flu last week, I knew that I had to get some good times in. With Christmas it was going to be a little hard as time with family can limit time training.

However, I managed a good 5 hours on the fluid trainer. This is where most of my cycling will be done during the wet season as the rain tumbles down. 600mm (24 inches) for the month so far and more expected. Did some speed work. Ran 6 x 1km sprints with 90 seconds between them. I managed my target, with all runs being at better than 6min per k. That's painfully slow, but I'll work up to faster speeds as I get more k's in the legs and have a better endurance base. On Boxing Day, I managed a little further than last Sunday's 2 hour run, with 16.58km.

Tried to get to the pool, but got held up at work virtually every day. managed an early afternoon on Christmas Eve. Walked the short distance to the pool in the driving rain. (Hey, I was gonna get wet anyway!) just to find they closed early. Next week, will get in even if I have to head out during lunch break.

Although I did the usual overindulgence on Christmas Day, the 2 hrs on the fluid trainer Boxing Day and 2 hr Run the same night minimised the weight gain.

Currently 83.4kg, aiming for race weight of 76kg.

Swim - Nil
Bike - Nil
Trainer - 5 hours (2x2 & 1x1)
Run - 2:34 (1 x 2hr & 6 x 1k splits)

Flu ridden week

2010-12-20T08:00:00.000+10:00

This week was a shocker. Monday was a decent run and then down with the flu for 3-4 days. Fever running hot & cold, sweating like I was on a run. Overall, this really put a dampener in my training. The only bright thing to come from it was it enabled me to get my weight down a bit. Dropped 1.5kg for the week.

Being totally unfit and not having run since Monday morning, I decided to head out Sunday night around 6pm for a 2 hour run. Distance and time were not hugely important. I wanted to cover the normal distance over the first hour and then see what the second hour was like. I figure this could be close to what I may do in Cairns after the swim & bike leg.

First hour was a normal run. Slow, walking after 3k and just under 9km covered. The second hour pushed this up to 15.75km. The key was to keep trotting along between walking sessions. I was still trotting along at the end of the 2 hours. If this can be maintained during the run in Ciarns, I'm looking at a run time somewhere around 6:30. It was a balmy 27.3C when I left and by the time I finished, it had dropped to 27.2C. Humidity started at 86% rising to 88%. I'm counting on Ciarns being a lot cooler and less humid, making the run leg easier. Training in the tropics does have some advantages.

Overall:
Swim: Nil
Bike: Nil
Trainer: Nil
Run: 1 x 1hr 8.9k : 1 x 2hr 15.7k (24.6k)
Weight 83.0kg

Engaging Week

2010-12-13T08:43:00.000+10:00

This week was one of exciting and interesting events. Celebrated my partner's 50th birthday and used the occassion to propose. So just after Challenge Cairns, this slow tri-man is off the market. Well, it's really only making it official as we had planned a June wedding anyway.

Needless to say, arranging the birthday party, engagement and the constant rain caused a few hiccups in my training plans.

I managed my first decent road cycle since May. There was no distance or speed set, tha plan was just to spend time in the saddle. 1 hour riding north, then turn around and come back home. 40km in and I blew a tyre on the Bruce Highway about 20km north of town. It gave me some practice running off the bike as I trotted 2-3k before acccepting a lift back to town from a passing driver.

Overall, less than the hours I wanted, but at least I got some real bike time in.

6 months to go

2010-12-06T08:57:00.000+10:00

Cairns Challenge is just 6 months away. I'm being consistent with some training, getting out 4 days last week for 5 hours total and this week, despite having to travel to Geelong & Melbourne, heading out 4 times for 4.5 hours. I don't want to push too hard too fast, considering the recent surgey and only getting the OK to train 2 weeks ago.

Visited Melbourne for work most of the week, but got out each morning I was able for a 1 hour run. Unlike Mackay, the suburb I was running around has lots of hills. To quote Bart Simpson, "Ay Carumba!". Those hills really hurt. My gluteus is in maximus pain as are my ankles.

No pool work yet, which is my weakest leg. The key here is timing. Local pool hours are not conducive to early morning or late evening training. I may have to bite the bullet and book myself out of the office at the start of the day a couple of times a week to get some swim time in.

Cairns Challenge

2010-11-28T11:38:00.001+10:00

No turning back. I've entered, paid the fee and booked accommodation. No more excuses. It's now all up to me.

Started to run again after surgery. Managed 8.5k in an hour Tuesday, including numerous walks. Bumped that up to 9k on Saturday.

Rain has kept me off the road, so managed two 90 minute sessions on the trainer.

27 weeks to go. Nervous and excited at the same time.

Slow & steady

2010-10-28T10:17:00.000+10:00

First bike ride this morning after last week's surgery. Doctor said no exercise till mid-November so I went for a gentle 30 minute ride at just over 20km/h. Surely that doesn't count. Barely enough to work up a decent sweat.

Cairns Challenge has been announced. Full Ironman Distance Triathlon, June 5th 2011.

Ouch

2010-10-22T11:19:00.000+10:00

Just out of hospital after surgery. It was a long wait to get the job done and will be a long wait to get back to being able to swim, bike & run.

Let's see, what else is happening....... starting 2 new businesses, moved house again. Now, please remind me when is it that I get time to train????

The dream dies

2010-05-08T11:23:00.000+10:00

The main reason for the blog was to track my progress through the Capricorn Half Ironman and then onto the Australian Ironman. That dream has now been shattered. The people who run the Australian Ironman decided to cut the number of competitors by 500 and no longer require any qualification or validation. The result:

The entire event sold out in a single day. People who have raced and competed for many years have missed the event as the organisers cut the number of competitors. Those extra numbers have been taken up by staging another, shorter race at the same time. If they have the ability to manage the number of people in the two different races, why not have the one race that we all aspire to?

Training was very poor this week, with little motivation to get up and train.

1 x runs: 0:41:36 - 7.00 km

Weight 82.0kg

Week ending Midday Sat 8th May 2010

15 to go - Pool closing

2010-05-01T20:29:00.001+10:00

This is the last week that I could use the pool at lunch. For the month of May, the pool is closed for annual cleaning, repairs & maintenance. My best week, with nearly 5 and a half hours spent training. A fair effort considering the first three days were blanks.

Pool speed is improving. Finally over 10k for a 1 hour run. Bike is still an issue. Managed 60k (almost) but it was a real struggle toward the end. More trainer sessions during the week and another long bike next weekend will hopefully show results.

2 x swim: - 44:29- 1700m
1 x bike: - 2:24:19- 59.43km
1 x trainer: - 0:45:00
2 x runs: 1:30:02- 15.21 km
Overall 5:23:50 :for the week.
Weight 81.0kg
Week ending Midday Sat 1st May 2010

16 weeks to go

2010-04-30T07:34:00.000+10:00

A slow week that started with a puncture on my long ride. This put a dent in what was looking to be a good PB. Had problems with changing the tube, so ended up getting somone to come out and bring me back to town. Running was not good either. A few late nights at work and the motivation to get up and run after just 4 hours sleep was not there.

My swimming is the highlight this week which is getting better with my times coming down. I can get a 1km swim during lunch.

2 x swim: - 49:27- 1800m
1 x bike: - 0:56:52- 27.41km
1 x runs: 1:01:03- 10.00 km
Overall 3:48:01 for the week.
Weight 82.1kg
Week ending Midday Sat 24th Apr 2010

17 Weeks & counting

2010-04-17T21:17:00.001+10:00

A good start to the week with a long ride Sunday. Out & back for 2 hours. Both legs were basically the same speed at 26km/h. A trip to Brisbane mid-week, visitors staying and heavy rains put a bit of a dampner on this weeks training. I did manage a 2010 PB for a 5k run, that contains a 250m "sprint" each km.

1 x swim: - 16:54 - 600m
1 x bike: - 2:00:03 - 51.96km
2 x runs: 1:31:04- 15.00 km
Overall 3:48:01 for the week.
Weight 82.3kg
Week ending Midday Sat 17th Apr 2010

18 weeks - Hours going up

2010-04-11T09:27:00.000+10:00

This week, the training got serious, with a structure in place to buold both endurance and speed. Wednesday will see my long run increase leading up to a half marathon in June. My long ride due Saturday was done Sunday, so will be in next week's figures. Swimming was the weak link, with work being busy, so I was unable to get out at lunch for some swim time.

Overall, much better week. Next week will be huge as the delayed long ride Sunday and next week's Saturday ride combine.

Had some trouble with the Garmin and my stop-watch, so some times are estmates only.

1 x swim: - 30:00 - 1,000m

3 x runs: 1:57:20- 19.00 km
2 x trainer: 1:45:00
Overall 4:12:20 for the week.
Weight 82.4kg
Week ending Midday Sat 10th Apr 2010

19 Weeks - Ironman Weekend (56 weeks till IMOZ 2011)

2010-04-03T11:00:00.000+10:00

Last weekend was the Australian Ironman. Congratulations to all who entered and kudos to those who finished. This is the ultimate goal and the reason for my shot at the Half Ironman in 19 weeks. Although they have removed the need to qualify, beating the old qualifying time is still my target. This will give me the confidence to compete with the expectation of making the distance.
I discovered that the gastro bug I thought I had ended up being a gall stone lodged in the bile duct and kept me a bit off colour (yellow actually) for most of the week. I tried to keep running, but those who have had this problem will attest to the fact it involves a degree of discomfort. I exchanged my long ride for 2 hrs on the trainer to avoid being 1hr away from town and then getting an attack.

1 x swim: - 19:35 - 700m
2 x runs: 1:29:23- 14.86 km
1 x trainer: 2:00:00
Overall 3:48:58 for the week.
Weight 82.1kg - Higher than target, but still falling.
Week ending Midday Sat 3rd Apr 2010

A visit from Ului & the Gastro bug.

2010-03-29T23:03:00.001+10:00

Despite a visit from cyclone Ului and missing 3 days with a stomach bug, I was still reasonable happy with the amount that I managed to get done despite the unfavourable conditions. This weekend is the Australian Ironman. This is the ultimate aim and the reason for getting into condition to compete in the half-ironman in 20 weeks time.

Now for the figures:

1 x swim: - Nil - Pool closed.
3 x runs: 1:48:54- 17.664 km
1 x bike: Nil - Roads dodgy with debris
Trainer: 2 x 1:45:00
Overall 3:33:54 for the week.
Weight 83.1kg
Week ending Sat 27th Mar 2010

21 weeks - Ului waiting to visit

2010-03-20T07:54:00.001+10:00

Despite being crook early in the week, I was fairly happy with the effort that I put in this week. Got out on the bike for a decent ride. The task was to spend time in the saddle, without worrying about speed at this stage. I also managed to get to the pool during lunch and started to get back into the swim. My card scanned that it had been 956 days since my last visit. Needless to say, my swimming is atrocious at the moment, with just 5 x 100m swims being done. The speed is OK for me, but I need to be able to maintain that speed over the longer distance.

The coming week may be interrupted due to tropical cyclone Ului. House is prepared, yard cleared of debris and supplies are on hand. Most of which were set up at the start of the cyclone season. There may be less bike, but more time on the fluid trainer.

Now for the figures:
1 x swim: 0:12:05 - 500m
3 x runs: 1:48:54- 17.664 km
1 x bike: 2:12:21 - 52.9 km
Overall 4:13:20 for the week. Over half of target.
Weight 83.7kg
Week ending Sat 20th Mar 2010

22 weeks and now we start to ramp up

2010-03-13T20:43:00.002+10:00

After a break for the first time in years, it was time to put the rest behind me and get into training. While away, I did a couple of good hour walks through the national park forests, complete with 5kg backpack and going at a fairly brisk pace to get a good sweat up.

The bike got it's tyre fixed and despite the constant rain which is typical of the tropical wet season at this time of year, I got out and got into some work. Just as a matter of interest I checked the rainfall figures for the last 2 weeks of February and we recorded 366mm of rain in 14 days. Ay Carumba. March has started a little easier, with the rain being regular, but not as heavy.

Weekly Totals:

2 x runs: 1:33:17 - 14.44 km
2 x bike: 1:10:16 - 31.78 km
Weight 84.9kg (The all you can eat buffet for all meals didn't help!)
Week ending Sat 13th Mar 2010

23 Weeks and a break

2010-03-13T20:31:00.000+10:00

Work and family made this weeka difficult one again to get away this week. Time was spent getting everything up to date before heading away for a well deserved break. This is the second break of more than 4 days since the business started in July 2007.

It was decided to place training on hold and then get into the swing of things during the break or at least once we get back into routine.

Weekly Totals:

No Training this week.
Weight: 83.5kg

Week ending Sat 6th Mar 2010

2 dozen weeks to go

2010-03-13T20:21:00.000+10:00

A week where a little variety, with some interval training did a bit of damage to the hamstring. Intervals will not be added to the figures until they get to be standard distances and set timing.

Weekly Totals:
2 x runs: 1:03:25 - 10.00 km
2 x bike: 0:24:49 - 10.52 km

Week ending Sat 27th Feb 2010

25 Weeks to go

2010-03-13T18:23:00.003+10:00

With less than 6 months to go, work & family committments have struck again. A weekend away, with little chance to train doesn't help.

I did get out for an hour's run and for the first time, started a run and then gave up with just a few hundred metres covered as the legs just wouldn't get into gear. A very poor week.

Weekly Totals:

2 x runs: 1:24:28 - 13.19km

Week ending 20/02/10

Clownsville

2010-03-13T18:19:00.001+10:00

This weekend was interrupted by a business trip to Townsville.

On Sunday, I managed to get the new bike out and do a few km, but there is a leak in the tyre so I'll have to get that fixed before being able to get out for a decent ride. Monday's start was poor and I quit just a few km in. I did however, have a second attempt that night and did the full hour run.

Twice during the week I got onto the trainer and started to get the legs back into rythym. Not very successful, but at least it's a start.

Weekly Totals:

2 x runs: 1:14:27- 12.12 km
2 x bike: 0:31:32 - 13.64km
2 x trainer: 1:18
Weight: 84.9kg

Week ending Sat 13/02/10

27 weeks - They need to be better than this

2010-02-07T11:49:00.001+10:00

A very poor week. A couple of 5am starts for work and some late nights thrown in and the training just didn't get there. Some days the training wasn't done due to sheer laziness.

I only managed to get out and do my one hour run once with an additional 30 mins on the trainer for the bike. At this rate, I'll never get anywhere near enough fitness to take a shot at the half.

Gotta knuckle down and get it done. Next week is 6 months to go. That's 6 months to get the fitness needed to get around the course in under 7 hours 30 minutes. Sitting at a desk is not going to get me there.

On the good side, the full hour on my run was a non-stop run with the distance up to 9.32km. I also managed to keep going for the full 30mins on the bike trainer. I've put the old steel bohemoth on the fluid trainer, leaving the new bike for the road. It hasn't been out yet, but that will happen later this afternoon. On the weight side, everything's on target, getting below 85kg by the end of January.
Weekly Totals:
1 x runs: 1:00:00- 9.32 km
1 x bike: 30 mins trainer
Weight: 84.9kg

Run breakthrough - 28 weeks left

2010-01-30T20:49:00.000+10:00

Finally, a breakthrough with my running. While at a work conference in Brisbane, I hit the river-walk at 5:00am and managed to cover 9.6km over the hour, which included the first 5k's under 30 minutes. Now I'm close to meeting my January target of running 10k in the hour. With 3 runs and some time on the bike, I've increased the amount of time exercising and training for the Half, but there is still a long way to go.

The Mackay Triathlon Club has released their 2010 calendar of events and have again put in place a great trial for the half ironman, with a 1.9k swim one weekend, followed by a 90k bike the next and then Mackay's annual half marathon the week after that.

If it stops raining, I'll try to get some time with the bike on the road, although the gears need some minor adjustments as I can't get the chain onto the big ring.

Weekly Totals:
3 x runs: 2:33:28 - 22.79km
1 x bike: 15 mins trainer
Weight: 85.6kg

New Bike - 29 weeks to go

2010-01-23T10:21:00.003+10:00

Another week and again disappointed with the amount of training completed. Only 2 runs, one interrupted due to the start of a rash, so I had to stop and walk the remainder of the distance home. I've given away the 5k runs and gone straight to the 1 hour run, with the aim to build to 10km+. This will automatically bring the 5k pace to a level where I'm happier with.

I did get on the bike trainer and put in an easy 20 mins, which had me clocked at 9.41 km. On Wednesday afternoon, I picked up the freash bike. Although still old, being a 1999 model, it's a huge improvement on the weighty steel beast that took me around Yeppoon in 2007. I've got a Cannondale Multisport 800, with carbon forks, Shimano RSX gearing and Mavic wheels. Nowhere near the quality of a Felt DA, but a damn sight better than what I had in the past.

Health-wise, the ultrasound revealed that another operation will be needed. I won't know the timing until I get back in to see the doc (on holidays this week). Knowing my luck, they will likely schedule the op for the week or so before Yeppoon. That just means I'll have to do GC HIM in October.

Weekly totals:
2 runs 10.87 km 1:15:26
1 bike 9.41km 0:20:00
Weight 85.7kg

30 weeks to go

2010-01-16T08:02:00.003+10:00

This week was little better than last week, although a 5:00 am start with a 1:00am finish at work does make it a bit tough to get up the following morning and go for a run. Not sure who said it, but a general rule of thumb for an event where you're just planning to finish, not a competitive finish, that your hours per week training should be around the time you plan to finish the event in.

With the aim to beat the cut-off time, that means more than 7 hours per week training. At the moment, I'm short by 5 1/2 hours. Time to step up to the mark and start pushing. 5 mornings a week and try to add 2 evenings as well. With my running times being around half an hour, that will boost me up to the half way mark and should build fitness to allow the run time to creep up to the hour.

I recall doing 1 hours runs 3 mornings a week, each run being in excess of 10km. Once back to that level, the non-run mornings can be bike time and weekends spent doing laps in the pool. Speaking of swim times, next week is my first week off since April last year and the local pool calling me. Will be interesting to see how far I can swim after the huge break from the water.

The only thing that's working properly at the moment is the weight loss. 1.8kg lower than Jan 1st and on target to hit 85kg by the end of the month.

Weekly totals: 4 x run 17.3km (1:50:55)
Weight: 86.3kg

One down, 31 to go.

2010-01-09T10:12:00.003+10:00

The first week of trading for the new year and what a week!! The number of enquiries for the week was almost our average volume over 2 months meaning several late nights working. Combine that with the 2 older girls leaving for Uni at 4:00am Monday, the youngest heading interstate on the first flight on Tuesday, a visit by the grey nomads, some very heavy rainfall and the week was a write off.

I did manage a few laps of the backyard pool in the wettie. Unlike the first time I tried, this time it felt more comfortable around the belly and breathing was much easier. The added advantage of the wettie is clearly evident, so I’m really looking forward to getting into the big pool and seeing what times I can turn out compared to 07 with the budgie smugglers.

At this early stage, my targets for Yeppoon are:
S- 0:45, T1-9, B-3:30, T2-5, R-3:00, (Total 7:29)
They may be really dodgy targets, but I’m not called super slow bloke for nothing.

Weekly Totals: Run x 2 total 10km - Not a good start

Starting slow

2010-01-01T14:39:00.005+10:00

The start of the year needs some stats as a base to compare progress throughout the year.

Weight - 88.1kg

Longest distances over the last 6 months:

Longest non-stop run 3km (Last 6 months)

Longest non-stop swim est 500m

Longest non-stop bike - Nil (No bike in more than 1 year)

New year's day and I'm off on a 5km "run". It's been so long that I've forgotten some of what I learned 3 years ago.

Vaseline is your friend

New shoes need to be broken in before running

Be well hydrated before starting a run at 28C and 90% humidity.

Saturday's 5k run was much better. More comfortable and managed the entire 5k, without stopping for a walk in a time of 32:26. My target for this month is to get the 5k time down to 30 minutes by January 10th and get to 10k running by the end of January. No running Sat pm or Sunday due to a regular visit to the blood bank. Although I could be tempted to get in and do a few laps of the backyard pool.

Starting Over

2009-12-20T11:47:00.002+10:00

As 2009 draws to a close I look back over the little that was written here, the increase in numbers when I get on the bathroom scales and my complete lack of fitness and cringe. There have been reasons for the lack of effort, but it really boils down to the fact I just didn't get out there and do it.

2010 is shaping up as the year of my return. No more 5:00am starts to get kids to work on time. No more heading into town between 8:00pm and midnight to collect kids from work. One has left home, 2 are heading to Uni between Christmas and New Year, the last "young adult" gets his license on Dec 30th and the last 2 are still in Primary School. No excuse, but when your "work/parental duties" start at 5:00am and finish after 8:00 pm and you have to fit in time with younger children, partner and running the bookwork for a business as well as training, unfortunately training was left behind.

The family business has settled down. We have all new staff, but they appear to accept their positions as part of their career progression, not just a job. It's so wonderful to duck into the office at 5:30 and find staff still there working, rather than rushing out the door as soon as the second hand hits quitting time. They also get early afternoons if the work is all done. No sense hanging around doing nothing.

As always, my goals are big. Get back into condition and go hard at the Capricorn Half. The aim is to go around in 7 hours and qualify for IMOZ. Compared to 2007 I'm completely unfit. However, I now have better knowledge of what I should be doing and how to compete. I'm getting the body as best I can and then counting on the grey matter to get me the rest of the way.

Training has started. I'm slowly putting out 4k plods of 27 mins. I've managed 20 laps of the pool, although I'm sure that number will rapidly diminish when I move from the backyard pool to a 50metre one. I've not been astride a bike in almost 2 years. The bike will need a total overhaul just to get moving.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step" - Lao-Tzu

January Gone

2009-01-31T21:54:00.003+10:00

January has come and gone. While it was good to get back into running after the break, the weather and the decisionnot to run in the rain has done it's damage. Only 61k on the road and not a single 1 hour run to beat 10km.

The goals I set for January have not been achieved. February will be different. Rain will not stop me from running. My target is to run a minimum of 120km, being 1 hour runs, 3 times a week, with an average of 10km/hour or greater.

Again, once I make 3 runs out of 4 of 10km or more, the weekend run is to step up to 90 mins aiming for 15 km. Some speed work should assist in getting the 10km/hr speed more consistently over the longer distances.

The family has decided to aim for a Sunday outing each week. With the large number of beaches, I should be able to get a couple of swims into the month as well. Some bike work on the trainer can be added, but the focus is to get the running back on track. I need to be able to cover 15km in 90 mins each weekend comfortably.

2009 Goals:

Mackay Half Marathon - July - 2:06:36 (6:00 min pace)
Capricorn Half - August - 7:00:00 (1 hour PB)
Validate for Ironman - August - 2010

Wet Season

2009-01-29T09:49:00.002+10:00

While I love living up here in the tropics, wet season can play havoc with training.

Each morning this week, I have been woken up around 5am to the sound of rain pelting down. We're not talking about a misty shower or a bit of drizzle, but a tropical downpour. I've tried running under these conditions before, only to be soaking wet, and having to wring out socks before I've finished the first km.

Although the rain has been consistent, thankfully it's nowhere near the 600mm in 6 hours we got last year.

What do I do? Do I get back to the 3 x 1 hour runs weekly and push to the 90 min run when I get 10k consistently as planned or do I push forward to the longer runs as I hoped to have achieved the first goal by the end of January?

Of course, with 3 days left in January, I could manage both if I get a break from the weather and get in 3 good runs. Another alternative is to dust off and repair the bike and set it up on the trainer for some indoor bike practice. In 3 days, I'll know what's what.

Slow but steady start

2009-01-19T08:20:00.003+10:00

The start of 2009 has been slow but steady. After the failed marathon attempt on December 29th, I have started to build a base from which to start my Ironman assault. The plan is to run 3 days a week for an hour each time, with the aim to cover 10k or more each time.

Doing 3 out of 4 runs over 10k, is the first target. Once achieved, one weekly run will increase to 90 minutes and speed work will be added. The speed work is to run 2k in 10 minutes, take a 5 minute break and then do the 2k run again.

Cycling will wait until I am doing the 2 x 1 hour runs, 1x 90 minute run and speed work.

Swimming can be hard to arrange, but I tried on my wetsuit and did a couple of laps in the backyard pool. I'm not a good swimmer and it will probably take a couple of months before I can cover 2k again. Weekends will be the most likely time, so I'll work on getting them into my schedule.

Key events for 2009 are the Mackay Half Marathon, which takes place in July and the Capricorn Half Ironman, which takes place on 16th August. It's the Capricorn Half that is the "now or never"event. If I don't validate for Ironman, then it could be curtains for my ironman aspirations.

I've made a promise to my partner, that when we marry, she will be marrying an Ironman. We have set November 2010 as the date, so that doesn't leave much margin for error. It's IMOZ March 28th 2010 for me.

Wasted Year

2009-01-09T13:42:00.002+10:00

We've come to the end of 2008 and I can see another year has gone by without achieving my triathlon goals.

The number one goal for 2008 was to improve my HIM time and get set for IMOZ 2009. Between work, family, moving house, family members being in & out of hospital and just not getting the work done, I ended up not even competing in a HIM for 2008.

Toward the end of the year I set my sights to run the marathon distance. Agsin due to busy lifestyle and not devoting enough time to training, my marathon fell in a hole at the 27k mark.

The new year hopefully will bring in a better set of circumstances and get he to IMOZ in 2010.

All work & no play

2008-09-27T07:46:00.002+10:00

It comes as a bit of a shock to realise that I have not recorded anything here since January. As with most people, particularly those who have a new small business to run and a large number of kids, time just gets away from you and the things that don't really matter get pushed to the side.

For me, that meant that triathlon got pushed into the background. So far this year, I have not been to a single event, apart from having a crack at the annual half-marathon in June. The training hadn't been good and I was not as fit as I was last year, when I ran my first half in 2:20:50.

However, while not as physically fit, I was mentally tougher. At the 15k mark, when I felt like walking, I forced myself through and kept going until the end. The result? A new Half PB of 2:13:47.

Since then I've managed to get out and have a 15k run once a fortnight or so. Happily, I managed to push through the 6:00 barrier that had been hard to crack and now have a 15k run at 1:27:41

My next target is doing the half at the same pace. The aim is to run a half each fortnight until I come in under the target time 2:06:36. From there, it's keep the same pace over 25k, 30k etc and in December, I stride out for my first marathon.

Running Again

2008-01-07T13:33:00.000+10:00

Sunday night, I decided to try the calf muscle. The last time I tried, it was a bit tender after 100m, so I stopped and walked the rest of my 5k track. Sunday was a revelation, with both good and bad news.

The good news is that I am able to run again. The bad news is that I’m out of condition and, unsurprisingly, still slow. I managed to get out and run my 2k course twice each on Sunday and Tuesday and once on Friday. Best pace for a first run was 5:14, with a slow 5:50 for a second run.

Rather than run 2k and then just stop till my heart rate drops below 100, I'll slowly jog 1k as my recovery. That will give me a 5k run, with 2x2k splits.

Biking was frustrating. I headed out 3 times, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Best time was 29.6. Still under the 30k average I'm seeking as my next target. I seem to slow after getting over the Baker's Creek bridge. Thankfully, on days when I'm feeling poor, I still manage to go faster than other dodgy days, so I'm sure the 30k target is just around the corner.

The Saturday ride was followed up by a 2k run as a mini-bric. The run was at slow 6:37 pace, but I never stopped to a walk, so it's a start. This year I'm determined to finish a race without walking.

Weekly totals:
Run: 13km @ 5:56 for all runs, or 5:39 excluding the bric and 1k recovery
Bike: 46.95km @ 29.1km/h average. Best 29.6 Worst 28.8

Wet Christmas

2007-12-30T11:55:00.000+10:00

Christmas this year was the second wettest on record. The ability of Mackay's drivers is appalling. While I may be happy to ride along teh highway in clear conditions, I'm not brave enough to risk in in the wet and particularly if visibility is poor. A couple of times, I got up at 5 am, only to pull the pin and head back to bed. Once th calf is better and I can run, these days will be runs, but I'm still a couple of weeks short of full recovery after tearing the calf in the last week of November.

Thursday I set up the trainer, put the bike in a high gear and pumped out a couple of hard 10 min sessions. My legs still feel the effects 4 days later!

With the rain finally clearing on Saturday afternoon, I headed out to Rosella store for the first time this week. With a headwind of up to 40km/h, the trip out was slow, getting down as low as 22km/h up the ramp onto the bridge. The average speed to the turnaround was a measly 26.4km/h. Coming back was better, with an average speed of 30.9 The 13th & 14th K were disappointing with both being under 30k average.

Thursday: 10 Min 136 bpm Avg 151 bpm Max
Thursday: 10 Min 145 bpm Avg 154 bpm Max
Sunday: 15.6km 33:11 Speed 28.2 km/h 150 bpm Avg 155 bpm Max

Jumping on the scales on Boxing day, the figures were alarming. It was a bit of a wake-up call. At 84.7kg, I'd not been that heavy in more than 18 months. If I'm to be at correct weight of 75kg by August for Yeppoon, I'd better start getting the extra kg's off now.

Starting on the bike again

2007-12-20T14:17:00.000+10:00

Despite a family member being under the weather and the usual Christmas parties, I managed to get out on the bike a couple of times.

First time was on the fluid trainer for an easy 10 min spin. The heart rate slowly rising to 135 bpm.

Friday saw me ride the 4km into town to pick up a car. The heart rate was pushed a little higher, to 156bpm, with the average at 147.

Now confident that the calf would be able to manage a longer session, I headed out on Sunday morning for a quick run down the highway. The turnaround was slow as I slipped down the service road only to find I had to head back onto the highway to do the u-turn at the next intersection. The aim is to get to the Rosella store & back at an average speed of 35km/h. Once I can do that, I then venture further south until I can manage my initial target for 2008, 35km in an hour.

Sunday: 15.5km 33:23 Speed 27.9km/h 149bpm Avg

Still a lot slower than my target time, but I’m confident that my time will continue to improve the more I get out and ride.

Weekly total:

Bike 19.5km
Trainer : 10 Mins

Very little training this week, but it's a start.

On Ya Bike

2007-12-07T16:49:00.000+10:00

With my left calf muscle being torn, I was doing the right thing and trying to keep off it for a while. After consulting those with better knowledge than mine, I was told it could be up to 4 weeks for a full recovery. It's important to use the leg as much as possible, but without straining the muscle too much.

Late in the week, I found my step-daughter had decided to jump on the trusty (should that read rusty?) bike for a photo shoot.......... Don't ask. I got the answer and still don't understand!

Anyway, I decided to see how the calf would hold up to some gentle peddling. My main focus had been on getting my run times well down, but with the calf gone, I thought a cycle might be worth a try. I quickly learned that pushing yourself up over the saddle with the dodgy leg is NOT a good idea. But apart from that, it was smooth sailing for the whole 100 metres that I managed before being called back to continue fatherly duties.

So, while the running score has been non-existent for the week, I did manage to test my leg on the bike this weekend. Garmin in hand and being careful not to aggravate the injury, I went out slowly.

Ride 1 - 1.75k 3:52 26.9k/h Avg 133 bpm Avg 148 pbm Max
Ride 2 - 3.63k 7:40 28.3k/h Avg 148 bpm Avg 157 pbm Max

I know those times are very short, but it's the first time on the bike since Sarina triathlon on November 11th. I'm working my way back into some level of fitness, with particular emphasis on speed. I know I can manage the distances involved with a HIM, now I just have to get to the finish line faster. The aim for 2008 is to get fitter & faster with the intention of knocking a minimum of 1.5 hours off my HIM time at Yeppoon in August. Anything under 6:30 will make me very happy.

New Toys Hurt

2007-12-02T21:09:00.000+10:00

T'was the month before Christmas and all round the net,
the slow bloke was trawling for fancy new gadget.

The Garmin he spied from a transitions forum mate,
was snapped up by the slow one, hey this Garmin is great.

He set the heart rate to warm him he's slow,
it'll beep at him a warning, "HTFU and go."

Late, late one night, a test sounded fun,
just testing the warnings, not really a run.

So, he plodded down the road without stretching his legs,
"go faster, ya mongrel" his Garmin it begs.

He sprints at full speed, well as fast as he can,
flying across the road this super slow man.

The effort was full, not just giving it half,
but with a scream and a lurch, he tore his left calf.

Limping home he swore, you're a bloody idiot,
sprinting with no warm-up's real stupid, in'it.

So here I sit, no running for weeks,
watching the news from Busso, with tears down my cheeks.

The lesson I've learned in my tear-stained shirt,
new toys can be fun, but sometimes they hurt.

Needless to say, from the above very poor attempt at poetry, my training has been put on the back-burner for a couple of weeks. I'd been looking forward to the new Garmin 305 to start working on training according to my heart rate. After last year's lone effort without any idea what I was doing, 2008 is going to be a much more structured training program with the aim to break 6:30 for the half and qualify for Busso. (Busselton - Home of Ironman Western Australia)

Speaking of Busso, I'd like to congratulate all those who were at Busso this weekend. Particularly all the people at Transitions forum. To those who are still on the course yet to finish, keep going. To finish an Ironman is a great achievement, regardless of the time.

Huge work week

2007-11-26T07:10:00.000+10:00

It was a shocker at work this week, with Tuesday starting at 7:00am and finishing at 2:00am. This was followed up with a 5:00 am start on Wednesday, which finished around 10:00pm. There was also time spent working on the weekend.

Needless to say, managing to get time for training was difficult, particularly when family comes first. However, I did manage to get in half an hour of cycling on Sunday night followed by a 2k run. Since I'd done some cycling and had not done any other practice for the week, I went out at a more comfortable pace, rather than push for the 5min/km speed. In my mind when I set out, I thought 5:30 would be reasonable.

Sunday 2k run - 5:16 per km.
Again, I have the same problem with soreness behind the big left toe. May need to look at my shoes and/or add an extra pair of socks for comfort.

Here's hoping for a better week. Next Tri is the New Year's Resolution Triathlon in January. It's a very small tri, aimed at bringing new people to the sport. This was the first event I did last year and I'm looking for a huge improvement this time. If nothing else, I go into the swim knowing I can do it, rather than just thinking I might be able to.

Toys: I was offered a Garmin Forerunner at a good discount due to the owner being injured. It should arrive during the week. With heart rate monitor and GPS, I should be able to improve the quality of the training, which will assist if the quantity is not as much as it should be. Ideally, I should have quality and quantity, but with work/family committments, I realise this will be difficult to achieve.

Searching for speed

2007-11-19T07:41:00.000+10:00

After the ignomy of being last over the line for more than half of my races, I have concluded that my training focus needs to shift. To date, my focus has been on managing to cover the distance in the longer races. While I have managed to complete races up to half-ironman distance, the lack of speed is a real problem. On the rare occassions where training is actually done, it's a case of travelling at a comfortable speed so that that can be maintained for a good hour, or two if pushed.

So, from this weekend (Nov 17th/18th) a new system has been put in place. My current speed for distances from 5k to 15k is 6 min/k. Beyond 15k, I slow a bit toward 6:30 per k.

My target speed is 5 min/k, which can be maintained for a full half-marathon. The annual half is run in early July, so there is just over 7 months to achieve target. I'll start out with 1km and push to target speed, the increase the k's and push to maitain that speed over the longer distance. In addition, there will be a longer run each week, so that the ability to run long is not lost.

Sat 17th : 1km - 4:28s
That was a surprise. That may not be fast for other triathletes, but that certainly put a big smile on my face. Never thought I could do that pace, even if it was only a short sprint. the left foot was sore, underneath the big toe. Running at that speed, my foot strikes the road at a different angle and place. May have to try out different footwear etc.

Sun 18th: 2km - 5:10s per k
That's more like it. Close but not quiet there. The foot is now sore, justwith normal walking. Time to hit the bike for a couple of days and then come back to speed on the run.

Sarina Beach - The good, the bad & the ugly

2007-11-19T07:39:00.000+10:00

The good – I’ve got another triathlon under my belt
The bad – Another last place, with a terrible time
The ugly – The surf conditions and me walking the hills

It was one of those rare occasions where I actually had a weekend that didn’t involve dragging kids all over the place, working on the weekend or other activities. With the event on Sunday, I made the decision Thursday to give it a go.

My training had been patchy at best. While I managed to get the odd run in, my last swim and bike was the Mackay Lifestream event 5 weeks ago. Not quite the ideal training plan.

As with the Lifestream, my aim was to get to the finish without slowing to a walk. This was something that I have yet to achieve. I decided to go out at a comfortable speed and then wait for the run. If I hit transition feeling good, then I’d up the tempo on the run. If not, I’d head out slow and look to push it a bit toward the finish line.

Sunday, November 11th.

Swim

When we hit the beach on race day, I knew that it was not going to be pretty. There was a strong wind and the water was rough. Although there had been little time in the water, the experience of Yeppoon had me confident of doing the swim. As I got into the water, the size of the waves became apparent. These were the biggest waves that I’d attempted to swim in. Even treading water, the waves had me underwater at the crest of each wave. Although less than one quarter the distance of Yeppoon, that swim was the hardest that I’d done. Coming into transition, I was exhausted.

Bike

It was then onto the bike and head out from the beach. The road was fairly flat with a right had turn toward Campwin Beach. I strayed a bit wide at the turn and nearly ended up in the grass on the side of the road. The error was poor concentration due to fatigue. I knuckled down and tried to get the bike moving. I shuffled along around 28km/h until we got to the base of the lookout and then it was time to climb to the top. The hill is not big, barely worthy of the name, but the area that I ride on is dead flat. I got to the top still on the big ring, although out of the saddle. Down and back to the main beach for a turn around and then back for the second lap. Second lap I felt better, with a faster speed, more comfortable and I attacked the undulations at Campwin Beach harder. One hill ended up being a roll down as the chain came off, with that being fixed when I got to the bottom.

Run

As I moved into transition, I could see that people were already finishing. That’s hardly a new experience for me. It was then off on the run. First along the beach where people ending the race came flying past me. From young kids that looked like they were just into double figures to those who looked like they might be in the 55+ age group all left me well behind. As I got back to the beach it was then around the corner to the hill. The run leg runs up another lookout, with a steep climb to test out the runners. My aim had been to run the whole event, however, that hill had me beaten. Walking to the top, I was determined to make sure I jogged all of the flat sections. It was back down the hill, out to the boat ramp and then through the nature walk before coming back toward the start. I kept up my speed as I did the final out & back parallel to the beach. I even managed to push a little harder after the turnaround as I headed back to the finish.

Overall, it was another last placing for me. But I retain my record of finishing every event that I have entered. Time was under 2 hours, around double the time of the race winner. On a flat course, with still water, I would expect to go better by 20 mins. If nothing else, it gives me a time to beat next year. Although I continually finish races in last position, I will continue to compete. The position doesn’t worry me as long as I continue to improve on my previous times. After all, triathlon is an event that is designed to challenge the individual.

This event’s lessons:

I need much more practice in rough water.
I need to practice riding and running over hills.

The lesson I take away each time I race is that I need to devote more time to training. That can be difficult with work and family commitments, but still something that has to be done.

Capricorn Half Ironman - Doing it dumb

2007-11-09T07:58:00.000+10:00

The Capricorn Half was my first serious foray into the world of triathlon. It seemed a little ambitious to attempt a half-ironman as your second ever triathlon, particularly when swimming was something that you couldn’t manage 12 months earlier.

It was a short 4 hour drive to Yeppoon. I booked, registered for the race and then spent time with the family, before making sure that all my equipment was ready for the race. The race briefing the night before revealed that the waters were very choppy and they had a contingency plan if the conditions made the swim unsafe. This was not a good omen for someone who classes not drowning as a brilliant swim.

Waking up very early on the day, I ate a little cereal thinking there were a couple of hours before race start allowing the food to digest. I was so nervous that I had to be reminded that the transition was going to close in 30 mins. I ducked down to transition to get numbered and rack the bike. Finding that the bike had to get checked by officials first came as my first shock for the day. This was a rusty second hand bike I picked up for $70 with the handlebars re-taped and that was about it. Luckily they passed the bike so I could start.

The swim was going to be hard. Walking past a baby shark washed up on the beach was a worry. That was compunded when the race starter jokingly suggested that the competitors would be going out to find it's mother. At least I hope he was joking.

With the swim being my weakest leg, the choppy conditions had me thinking of bailing out after just 100m. By then I'd reached my planned fluid intake for the entire event in seawater alone. The waves were coming from my right, which is the only side I breathe on. There were times when I got a mouthful of water on 3 consecutive attempts to breathe. On the way back to shore, I spotted a buoy and realised I must have been a long way out, so decided to swim along for a while longer. When I saw the white 1k buoy, I decided to keep the arms going and finish the swim. Later on I took time to ask a volunteer on a surf-ski how far to the finish. I was 60 odd metres short on distance, but close to 100m too far out to sea.

Eventually, I beached myself coming out of the water in second last place.The swim had me stuffed. As someone who just learned to swim in the last 12 months and only ever practiced in the local pool, the conditions were an eye-opener. At this stage, I thought I was going to be a non-finisher.

Onto the bike where I managed to overtake 2-3 people. First couple of laps were hard into the wind, but coming back was closer to the speeds I was used to from my trainer. I quickly realised that my 3:15 target was not going to work. I hadn't done anything after a long swim in all my training. It was clear that I was well and truly out of my depth. Doing a 3 hour ride fresh is one thing. Doing it after a long hard swim is completely different. Especially for a poor swimmer.

My food intake was supposed to be a couple of energy bars I’d picked up at the expo the day before. I’d never tried these things and when I went to have a bite, realised the folly of taking food that you’re not familiar with. These things are as chewy as hell. There was probably more energy expended just trying to get these things into my stomach than they contained. I decided they weren’t for me and slipped the ¾ chewed power bar back in it’s wrapper and kept it with it’s mate in my pouch. By the end of the third lap, I’d gone through both of my bidons, so topped up at the drink station. At least there was some fluid coming in. It’s about the only part of my race that I did do well.

The final slog into the wind had me down to just on 20km/h, but I knew that I had 10 minutes or so up my sleeve to avoid the cut-off. By this time, the thought of not finishing been banished. Other competitors who passed asked how I was going. Each time I replied the same "I will finish". There was no way I was going to quit this event. No matter how much it hurt, I was going to get to the finish line.

I was confused when an official directed me toward transition before going down to the end roundabout. I thought I was inside the cut-off time, but I followed the directions, thinking that I'd stuffed up. Should I have ignored him and kept going down to the end? At this stage, I didn't really care. The officials point, I go.Onto the run and I'm the only person in transition. I head out with jelly legs and shuffle/walk along the path. Checking my times, I'm going to be close to 3 hours on the run (OK, I'll admit, walk/run).

The run was very, very slow. It was plod a hundred metres, walk a hundred. I’m not sure the plod was much faster than the walk, but both kept me going in the right direction. I got a big cheer from the crowd as a late finisher as I came into the pool area, just to wave at the crowd and yell that I had another lap to go. Thankfully the race director, Nick, held the finish open for me as I came in last of all in around 8 hours. That was 1/2 hour slower than planned. It may be that I get disqualified for the bike leg, but I know that I covered as much of the course as the officials allowed. I’ll be back next year, looking to cut at least an hour off that time. What kept me going was the encouragement from the crowd, other competitors along the way and the advice I got from a triathlon forum discovered a couple of days before the event, called Transitions. Otter told me, “Dont f#$%en quit. Walking is fine, limping - fine, crying - no problem, complaining - absolutely,,,,, but do not quit.”

I learned a few lessons at Yeppoon in 2007

1: Make sure you have done a swim or two in the ocean before you attempt a HIM. Make sure there are a few waves when you train as well. It's totally different from a pool.

2: Bike trainers may be good for peddling away at night, but you need road practice especially on windy days.

3: Good equipment helps. Using Speedos for the swim and a rusty old road bike with no aero bars does not assist in making good times.

4: If you think an official has given wrong instructions, double check. It's too late at the end of the day.

5: Nutrition is important and needs to be practiced as well.

6: There is a huge difference between doing the individual legs and putting all three together on the same day.

7: If you’re new to triathlons, get help. Join a local club, train with people who have raced before. Use their knowledge to help. Don’t do it all alone.

Triathlon

2007-10-30T17:22:00.000+10:00

After leaving blogs unloved for almost a full year, I will try to ressurect this one to reflect my attempt at doing Triathlons.

The decision to do triathlons came from my 9 y.o. son. One day walking through the park he said he wanted to do that sport where you swim, ride and then run. It sounded good to me. I'd been doing some running, mainly 3-4 km slow jogs most nights of the week. If he was going to do triatrhlons, then I thought it would be something we could do together. That was 12 months ago

First I had to learn to swim. That was always going to be the toughest part for me. Anyway, first time in the pool, dived in and swam as hard and far as I could before stopping. Fighting for breath some 20 metres or so from where I started, I knew this was not going to be an overnight success.

Eventually, I managed to get to 500m and thought it time to try out my new ability. There was a small triathlon in my local town at the start of January, advertised as 200m / 6km / 2km. That was short enough for me to attempt. On the day, I was surprised to hear the distances had all changed. It was now 400/12/3. My ability to swim 400m was questionable, but I was not going to turn back now.

It was a water start, with everyone in the river for safety reasons. A mass start down a wet & slippery boat ramp is just asking for trouble. The aim on the swim was to make it to the end. Time was irrelevent for me, so I steered to the side to keep out of everyone's way then settled into a slow pace. Even the guy doing backstroke left me well behind.

Suprisingly, I noted that there was still a couple of people behind me when I got out of the water. With a bit of confidence, I hit the bike and headed off after the rest of the pack. At this stage, I realised how out of condition I was. While there had been many k's done slogging away on the run, this was virtually my first ride on a bike for possibly years. There were a couple of riders I managed to overtake and one came from behind, so I had picked up one spot. The legs started to burn on the way back from the turnaround point, so I knew I was in trouble.

Into transition again and off on the run. Ay, Carumba!! Whoever came up with this idea of running after riding a bike was a nuts! For those who have never had the experience, give this a try. I'd been used to running 5-10 k every day, but after the bike, the legs just felt weird. I couldn't get them to work properly at all. This was the part that I had done all the training for and I just couldn't get going. It was plod 100m, walk 50. Plod some more, walk again.

At the half way mark, I took in some water and continued to shuffle/walk back. Luckily about 2/3 of the way through, the legs started to feel normal and it became a regular shuffle, which slowly picked up speed to a normal jog by the end.

Mission accomplished. I had competed and finished my first ever Tri. My time was an appalling 1 hour 3 and a half minutes, but I made it. The local Tri club puts on a lot of these smaller races to attract new people to have a go. There were 45 who had a go and I managed to come in 37th.

My road into the life of a triathlete had started. Where it will finish is anyone's guess.

Shaky start to Second test

2005-08-04T20:15:00.000+10:00

The Australian cricket team was rocked by the injury of key paceman, Glenn McGrath during the warm up to the second test at Edgbaston. With less than 30 minutes before the game starts, the Australian team had to call up Michael Kaprowicz to take the place of the injured McGrath.

With an under-strength attack, the Australians won the toss and elected to bat. This was a decision that may come back to haunt the Aussies as the first ball of the day was so wide it was taken by the keeper between first and second slip. Soon after, an edge to second slip was dropped at slip by Warne.

The England openers, quickly moved to a 50 run opening partnership in just 11 overs. A poor start from Australia and there will need to be a big effort to claw back the advantage from the England team.

I'm Baaaaack!

2005-07-28T21:25:00.000+10:00

After an extended time off the air due to computer breakdowns and being busy with both work and studies, I got back into the Grandstand Sports Forum to find that they have placed this blog on a rolling banner as an affiliate.

Thanks Eagleboy.......I think. I suppose now I'll have to put in some extra effort to ensure that there is something that appears here a little more often. So, on with the show.

Closest NRL competition ever!

With 20 rounds of NRL competition completed and being only 6 rounds away from the final series, we have the closest competition that the NRL has ever seen.

In second place, we have the Eels on 26 points. Just one game behind on 24 points is a log-jam of 6 teams. The only results that appear certain, is that the Broncos will make the finals and the Rabbitohs will get another wooden spoon to add to their already burgeoning collection.

The surprise package from last year, the North Queensland Cowboys* look lioke they have the ability to make this an all Queensland Grand Final. A big call this far out I know. The biggest danger comes from a resurgent Bulldogs team that is finally starting to get of it's star players back from injuries.

The big NRL questions will be covered over the next 3 months as the finales get closer.

Will it be an all Qld grand final?
Who can beat the rampaging Broncos?
Are the Melbourne Storm the dark horse coming in under the radar?
Will the returning Doggies players push them into flag contention?
Will Serge spit at the Rabbitoh's wooden spoon barbs?

All will be revealed.

*Those of us in the North still can't believe they didn't choose the nickname of stockmen, particularly when one of their major sponsors was the Stockland group.

Let the games begin

2005-06-18T13:27:00.000+10:00

There has been some grumbling about the form of the Australian team, with a loss in both the twenty/20 game and the match against county side Somerset. Have the Aussies lost their edge? The air of invincibility that has surrounded this team over the last decade is dissipating.

Add in the form being showed by the England batting attack and there are actually people canvassing the idea that the Poms may actually win the ashes back. Admittedly, most people saying this are Poms themselves, but these are ideas that normally would only come from the poor die-hard English cricket team supporters.

A twenty/20 match is more entertainment value than real cricket. The match against Somerset, had 2 top international batsmen, which by definition, rules out any English players. Two of Australia's top batsmen retired to let other players have a bat and the bowling attack was blunted by an injury mid-match to Australia's fastest bowler.

Tonight, we have a real international match. A one-dayer against the lowly placed Bangladesh, who were well and truly mashed by the Poms earlier this week. Tonight, Australia must stand up and do the same. The pundits will compare the Aussie assault on the Bangers to what the Poms dished out. To regain credibility, the Aussies need to cut through the Bangers batting order and make a mockery of their bowling.

Australia need to crush the Bangers with half their time remaining to match the Poms efforts. It's time for the Aussies to stand up and be counted. Our batsmen are in fine form, particularly Hayden and Ponting. If we bat first, our target must be 400 +\- If we take the field, we must aim to have the game all done in under 50 overs.

Tomorrow the real deal starts. Australia v England. The crims v the Poms. While we await the test series for the ashes, it's time for hostilities to begin. It's time to see who can gain the advantage in the brain game leading up to the Mecca of international cricket, the battle for the ashes.

Bangers to be mashed

2005-06-06T21:21:00.000+10:00

Australia's tour of England is due to start soon with Australia and Bangladesh meeting in the second one-day game.

If they keep up the form (or lack, thereof) at least I'll get a good night's sleep. The match starts around 7:30pm Australian East Coast Time and is due to finish at 3:30 am. If the match is still going at midnight, it will be surprised.

Maybe Ricky Ponting could set a trend and declare the Australian innings after 30 overs? It may be the Bangers only chance of getting close.

Ashes tour in 14 days and counting

2005-05-28T21:07:00.000+10:00

It's been quite a while since I visited this blog and I thought I would mention that that my contributions will begin to appear here once again as the traditional clash between Australia and England is just around the corner.

The first tour match is just 2 weeks away, with the serious business starting on Thursday 21st July at the home of cricket, Lords. (Not to be confused with Sabina park, which is the holiday home of cricket.)

For the first time in years the poms have actually found some players with enough form to possibly give the Aussies a run for their money. Possibly, but not very likely. While the Poms are cutting Bangladesh to pieces, and getting a confidence boost, the Australians will be a much tougher proposition.

The Aussies have 4 batsmen that average more than 50 runs per test. Compare that with England who have only having Andrew Strauss that can match that average. With the relentless way the Aussies grind down their opposition, if the Poms don's start well in the first test, the ashes will be a one-sided affair.

The Aussies greatest opposition for the "summer" will likely be the weather. My early prediction is Australia winning 4 tests and the weather stopping the clean sweep.

India tighten grip on second test

2004-10-17T08:37:00.000+10:00

The Indian tail wagged again with Patel (54) and Kaif (64) continuing to frustrate the Australian bowlers. The partnership crept up to 102, before Patel edged a catch to Gilchrist off Warne.

Kaif played through to the lunch break, but was unable to return after lunch due to severe cramps caused by the hot and humid conditions. With the bowlers losing wickets, the courageous Kaif returned with a runner. He showed his intentions by lofting Warne down the ground for 4 runs off the first ball he faced. He was out next ball after trying to run after reverse sweeping to third man and collapsing with cramps. He was unable to get back to his crease in time and was run out. In obvious pain, he refused a stretcher and very slowly, using small steps, managed to walk off the ground.

Patel and Kaif managed to lift India to a lead of 141 runs, while Warne took his first ever 5 wicket haul against India, finishing the day with 6 for 125. Dropped catches may prove costly for the Aussies, with 7 chances going down in the Indian innings.

When the Aussies came out to bat, there was an intent that had been missing in the first innings. The sweep shot, which had been virtually unsighted in the first innings, was employed by Hayden and Langer as they worked their way to another 50 run opening stand before tea.

First ball after tea saw Langer edge the ball to Dravid off Kumble. Hayden was dismissed soon after, top-edging a sweep shot. Gilchrist had promoted himself to No. 3 and, after a nervous start, had 49 on the board before being bowled by a Kumble wrong-un just before the end of play. Gillespie came out as night watchman and survived until stumps.

As we start day 4, Australia have 9 run lead with 6 wickets in hand. India have the upper hand, but Chennai is a pitch where scoring in the fourth innings is not easy. The highest 4th innings score to win was the 8-155 by India against Australia 3 years ago.

India will be hoping for early wickets, while the Aussies will be hoping that Martyn, Lehmann and Clarke can add another 200 runs to give them a chance of rescuing the match and taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Sehwag shines as Warne wins wicket record

2004-10-16T13:46:00.000+10:00

Verinder Sehwag played a materful innings holding the Australians at bay while the rest of team fell around him. At stumps, the Indians held onto a small 56 run lead with 4 wickets still in hand, thanks mainly to Sehwag's 155.

After an uncharatceristic slow start, Sehwag broke loose and was punishing all bowlers. Unfortunately, his partners were turning over regularly at the other end with Dravid's 26 being the next best while Sehwag was batting. When Sehwag finally departed for 155, Australia looked like it would clean up the tail quickly.

Mohammad Kaif was not going to waste the opportunity after 3 years out of the test team and batted well with keeper Patel to frustrate the bowlers with a 58 run unbroken partnership. The fielding was well below the Aussies best, with many catches failing to stick. Admittedly, most of the chances were difficult, but the Aussies have the reputation for capitalising on half chances.

On a positive note, Warne broke the world record when Pathan edged to Hayden at slip to boost Warne's wicket tally to 533. He also dismissed Sehwag to finish 2 wickets clear of Muralithuran.

As we head into the third day, the match is fairly even, with India just edging in front. While India have more runs on the board, they have to bat last on a pitch that will be harder and harder to score on. The Aussies need early wickets today and will need to keep the Indian lead as low as possible.

If India are still batting at lunch, then they will be well on their way to levelling the series.

Aussies Krumble before Kumble

2004-10-14T21:34:00.000+10:00

The first day's play at Chennai saw Australia take the initiative in the first session before India fought back in the second to have honours even at tea. The finals session belonged to India, and more precisely, Anil Kumble as the the Aussie batsmen fell like wheat before a scythe at harvest time.

Australia won the toss with captain Gilchrist choosing to bat first. Hayden and Langer made it to the lunch break with 111 runs on the board. The partnership was soon broken at 136 with Hayden holing out to Harbhajan for 58. Langer also fell to Harbhajan 3 balls later.

Katich and Martyn held out for a half-century stand before Kumble came on to weave his magic. On a bouncy, turning wicket, the Aussies could not match the guile of Kamataka Krusher. The close in catchers were kept busy with bat-pad chances being given with constant regularity. Taking 7 wickets for just 48 runs, Kumble snared his 25th 5 wicket haul to have the Aussies bundled out for a paltry 235.

India had to face the Aussies for 13 overs with Warne breaking through in the final, having Yuvraj caught behind to join Muralithuran at the top of the all time test match wicket taker's list. India start tomorrow with 28 on the board and a wicket that is providing plenty of bounce and spin for the bowlers.

In a show of good sportsmanship, four batsmen walked before the umpire had the chance to raise the finger. The batsman is in the best position to know if the ball has come of the edge, rather than the umpire, some 23 yards away. The decision to walk is a tough one, but one that shows that cricket is still one of the few sports where honesty and fairness are more important than winning.

Boof to bow out?

2004-10-14T10:40:00.000+10:00

Australian batsman Darren Lehmann, known for years as "Boof", has suggested stepping down to allow Michael Clarke the opportunity to stay in the Australian team when injured captain Ricky Ponting returns.

I have always been a big fan of Boof. For years he looked like getting the unenviable title as the best batsman never to play test cricket in Australia. The selectors finally recognised his plethora of runs and allowed him the honour of playing test cricket for Australia at the age of 27.

Lehmann has not disappointed. His test record is impressive. His batting average is 49.37 with 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries. He also bowls left arm orthodox spin (dubbed "straight breaks" by Kerry O"keefe) and has taken 13 wickets with an average of 23.15

Lehmann's suggestion shows he has the best interests of the game and the Australian team at heart. I can see his point, but would hate to see Boof leave international cricket. he is too good a batsman and too good a team player to leave the team. It's times like this when you realise how tough it is to be a selector. Do you drop a player with an average of almost 50, who excels against spin bowling in favour of the new star?

Unless the Indians and the ICC allow us to have 12 players, the decision will need to be made soon. Clarke deserves a spot in the team, but so does Lehmann. It is only a matter of time, but just as the Australian team dropped Healy for Gilchrist, Lehmann will also have to stand aside for the younger Clarke. Ponting's return may mark the end of Lehmann's test career.

If it does, cricket will be much poorer for the loss of a talented batsman and more importantly, the loss of a genuine nice guy.

Australia takes lead in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

2004-10-12T22:02:00.000+10:00

Under the captaincy of wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist, Australia scored a convincing victory against India in the first of the 4 test series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy against India.

Australia's batting proved the difference as debutante Michael Clarke and captain Adam Gilchrist both scored centuries. Clarke grafted an impressive 151 off 248 balls, while Gilchrist scored with his usual speed with his 104 coming off just 109 balls. Katich's 81 came at a time when Australia needed a batsmen to steady the innings.

Although Pathan bowled well, he was unable to penetrate the early batting order. Kumble finally started to make in-roads to the Australian batsmen, including his 400th test wicket, and had Australia concerned at 4 for 149. Katich, Clarke and Gilchrist then batted well to establish a handy first innings score. The turbanator, Harbhajan, then managed to clean up the tail in short order to end with the impressive figures of 5 for 146, with Kumble chipping in with 3 for 157. By that time, the Aussies had amassed 474 runs.

Despite talk of a spin friendly wicket, it was the quick bowlers who took the match away from the Indians. With 2 wickets off his first 2 overs, Glen McGrath returned from injury to show why he is regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world today, ending with 4 wickets. Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Warne each captured 2 wickets.

The Indian batsmen struggled with Sehwag (39), Ganguly (45) and Laxman (31) all making starts but failing to build on their scores. The tail showed the way with Patel (46), Pathan (31) and Kumble (26) holding off the Australian attack to extend their score to 246.

Australia decided not to enforce the follow-on and added another 228 to leave India with the task of scoring 457 to win. Most of the Australians struggles against an in form Harbhajan, who captured another 6 wickets for just 78 runs. Martyn made up for his first innings disappointment with the high score of 45.

India's attempt at the massive target was skittled as early wickets fell, leaving India with 4 wickets down with just 19 runs on the board. Dravid (60) batted through the carnage and again the tail batted well, to delay the Australian victory with a very slow run rate, before finally falling 217 runs short. The wickets were spread among the Australian bowlers with Gillespie taking 3 for 33.

After the 2001 tour, the Australians have used a more conservative approach to their Indian adventure. One that has showed success so far, but there are still 3 tests left to play. The resilience of the Indian lower order is a danger signal for the Australians. If the Indian top order manage to put some runs on he board, they could set some big targets. On a wicket where the Indian spinners took 16 wickets, Warne only managed to take 4 wickets. This is another danger signal for the Australian team.

Much has been written about the errors made by the two umpires. It's time the ICC started allowing more technology to help the umpires make the right decisions. More on this issue later.

Thursday sees the players move to Chennai for the next test. Reports from the match will (health permitting) be more regular.

AFL coach gets 3 year ban for striking

2004-09-30T00:25:00.000+10:00

The coach of the Cairns AFL team involved in a pre-meditated brawl prior to the start of the local grand final has been given a 3-year ban from any association with AFL football for striking opposition players. The decision was based on evidence provided by umpires in attendance on the day.

This ban would prevent him from coaching, playing, being an administrator of any type and even prevent him from attending matches for the whole 3 years. The AFL said the ban was more than would have been applied to a player as a coach is supposed to set a good example to the players and be somewhat of a role model.

The coach, Jack Love, expressed disappointment at the severity of the penalty and has announced that he intends to appeal the decision. There has been the inevitable talk of legal advice being sought.

So far, so good. The investigation is still underway and he may find himself having to face further charges of arranging a pre-meditated attack on other team players. When the final outcome is known, it will be reported her at club Kev.

I have sent the AFL my opinion and hope that they follow my suggestion of placing a life ban on the coach, banning other players for long periods of time and stripping the team of their premiership title.

De-registering the team is another option, but one that may affect innocent players who were not involved in the finals due to being injured, out of form or in lower grades. A good option would be to have apply a suspended de-registration. Any further trouble from that club would automatically result in de-registration.

A clear message needs to be sent. Violence will NOT be tolerated in our sport.

New ICC Champions format

2004-09-29T01:08:00.000+10:00

The farce that was the first week or so of the ICC champions trophy needs to be changed. Australia v USA in cricket is not entertainment. I understand that the cricketing minnows need to play stronger teams in order to improve, but stepping up against the world's top teams is too difficult a task.

The ICC should look at dropping the 2 lowest ranked one day teams to play in a seperate competition with the minnows. This would then allow the top 8 teams to provide a showcase of cricket, rather than the one-sided beatings that are over before the crowd has a chance to get settled.

2 groups of 4 teams would play each other. The top teams then play the number 2 in the other group, with the winners playing the final. This would have the same number of matches as the current system, but reduce the incidence of one sided matches.

The 2 teams that fail to make the competition would play in a special competition against the top 6 non test nations. This would give the minnows a chance to play a test nation without being humiliated. Again, you would have matches that would keep spectators interest, rather than being over before half time.

The two teams that make the final of the minnows competition would then be granted status as a one-day international team and go on to play the likes of Australia, England, India etc.

A similar system shoul0l be implemented for the test teams. The last ranked team each 2 years, would play one home and one away test against the highest ranked non-test nation. The minnow would have to beat the current test nation to take it's place. A loss or draw would allow the existing test nation to keep their position.

When you have a system where a team, once chosen, can deteriorate to no better than an average club side and not be able to lose their test-playing status, then the system need to change.

It would be good to see the test playing nations being chosen based on ability, not how many votes they can manage to muster within the ICC. Kenya showed with their performance at the last world cup and the champions trphy, that they may be more deserving of a test spot than Bangladesh and may even give Zimbabwe a run for their money.

Kenya v Bangladesh, now that's a test match that I would love to see.

Port Power Pummels Previous Premiers

2004-09-26T10:51:00.000+10:00

Port Power roared it's way to victory with a convincing win over the reigning premiers, Brisbane.

Port continued to get the ball out of the centre, with Brisbane rarely able to get the ball into their forward zone. Taking control in thge first quarter, Port shot to an early lead and lead by 15 points at the first break. With key forward Alistair Lynch being forced off the ground due to an injury he took into the game, Brisbane's attempt at 4 consecutive titles was looking shaky.

Brisbane fans were given some brief hope during the second quarter as the triple premiers staged a comeback, managing to bridge the gap and eke out the smallest of leads, going to half time with a 1 point lead. That optimism would be short-lived.

The third quarter was a bit of an arm wrestle with both teams going goal for goal for the first 10 minutes. The arm wrestle became more intense with neither team able to score a goal until the 20th minute, when Port started to break free and show their greater fitness and running. Four golas in 10 minutes had Port with a handy 17 point lead with only 1 quarter of the match remaining.

The first goal of the final quarter would be vital in terms of momentum and it took Port only 3 minutes to start putting nails in the coffin of the Lions. The injuries that Brisbane brought into the final started to show as they could not keep up with the speed and accuracy of Port Power.

Pickett, and Burgoyne seemed to be everywhere and ran the ball seemingly at will. Wanganeen chipped in with four goals in the second half and Port Powered away to an easy 40 point win.

Port get to celebrate their first premiership, Brisbane get to second guess the decision to take unfit players into the finals and the AFL get ready for Carlton's resurgence to take the title from Port Power next year. (Us one-eyed Carlton supporters can still dream).

No Victorians in AFL Final

2004-09-24T19:38:00.000+10:00

Despite having 10 of the 16 teams in the AFL competition, Victoria could not manage to get a team into the AFL Grand Final to be played tomorrow.

Brisbane will be trying to match the record with their 4th consecutive title and Port Adelaide are after their first. Whoever wins, the title will not be going near Melbourne.

Yet the Grand Final showcase is being played in the heart of Melbourne. Neither Brisbane nor Port Adelaide will get the opportunity to be playing in their home state. Port Supporters have a 720km trip, while Brisbane supporters have more than 1600km to travel.

Thankfully, both teams have been well supported, not only by their own fans, but the whole AFL supporting public.

As has been shown at the Olympic Games, Australians love their sport. The match will be a sell-out and the MCG will be full when the siren goes to start the match.

It may just be my Queensland bias, but I think that Brisbane can equal the record by recording their fourth consecutive AFL premiership. It won't be a romp, with Brisbane recording a victory by about 3 goals.

After that, it's on with next year and seeing the mighty blues win every match and take out the flag. Well, it's nice to dream.

England and West Indies to meet in final

2004-09-23T11:42:00.000+10:00

The West Indies will play the home team, England, in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Saturday.

England won through, beating the Australians for the fist time in 5 years, cementing the Champions Trophy hoodoo for the Aussies.

After the usual good start, the England slow bowlers applied the breaks and held down the middle order. On a wicket that favoured batsmen, Giles gave up only 40 runs off his 10 overs, picking up the vital wicket of Ponting with Captain Vaughan taking 2 for 42 off his 10 overs.

With regular wickets falling the Australians could only post 259 runs. While a good score, the wicket had another 20-30 runs in it.

England chased well with Vaughan and Trescothick in a punishing 140 run stand. Australia's fast bowlers took a hammering with Lee being hit for 65 off just 8.3 overs. England looked in control for the entire innings and closed out the match with 3.3 overs to spare.

The Calypso Kings of Cricket, the West Indies had an easy win over the Collapso Kings of Cricket, Pakistan. After a shaky start, Pakistan recovered to be 1 for 65, before losing their last 9 wickets for 66. Only opener Hameed and Captain Inzamam Ul Haq managed to score more than 20. Ducks were plentiful, with 4 batsmen not bothering the scorers.

The low score was never going to be enough and the West Indies won with more than 20 overs to spare. After losing Gayle & Hinds early, Sarwan and Lara settled in to build a good score until Lara was struck by a Shoaib Ahktar bouncer and had to retire hurt. By this time, the result was academic and the West Indies cruised to victory.

In Saturday's final, the home team are favourites to win. England has shown a revival with young players coming into form and setting the scene for a resurgence in the old country.

Waiting for Grand Final Justice

2004-09-21T22:59:00.000+10:00

Spectators at last weekend's AFL grand final in Cairns witnessed a disgraceful event as one team used pre-meditated violence as a match tactic.

After the playing of the national anthem, the two teams usually go into a huddle for the final words from the captain before players take up their positions on the field. The video footage clearly shows one team forming a huddle while the other team head straight toward their opponents and start a fight.

If it had been just one or two players who crossed to start a fight, it may have been seen as an isolated event. When virtually the entire team rush their opponents before the match, the evidence suggests the incident was planned.

Spectators commented to media reporters that they had heard in advance that one team was going to start an all-in brawl before the game. This is a further indication that the fight was a pre-meditated tactic by the team.

The fight included a broken jaw and concussions to players. Fights then broke out in the stands as upset supporters took out their emotions and frustrations on each other.

At the end of the day, the team that instigated the fight (one of many during the match) ended up winning the match. Scenes of the jubilant attackers celebrating while holding up the premiership trophy were appalling.

The AFL authorities are investigating the incident. While charges have been laid against a spectator, no action has been taken as yet regarding players and officials.

The club captain & officials should be permanently banned from any involvement in the sport and the team should be stripped of their immorally gained title. Anything less would be to condone pre-meditated violence as a legitimate tactic in the sport.

The media showed many things that occurred at the Cairns AFL grand final. One thing we didn't see was sportsmanship.

Pakistan & West Indies through to semi finals

2004-09-20T21:29:00.000+10:00

In a match where both teams lost early wickets, Yousef Youhana and a late flurry by Afridi, proved to be the difference guiding the Pakistan team to victory in the 50th over.

Earlier, Dravid anchored the Indian innings after early wickets, but it took until bowler Agarkar for a partner to stay long enough to set a reasonable score for the Pakistanis to chase.

With a first over wicket, the Indian score may have been enough, if not for the big hitting by Afridi after Youhana had laid the steady foundation.

In the other match, South Africa started well with a century opening stand. A century by Gibbs and solid 40's by Smith and Rudolph helped South Africa to a solid score of 246. Sarwan, Lara and Chanderpaul lead the West Indies to victory with an over to spare, making it the second ICC competition in a row where the West Indies have knocked the South Africans out.

In the semi-finals, Australia and England meet on Tuesday with West Indies and Pakistan playing on Wednesday. The final will be played out on Saturday. Bearing in mind we are talking about England, I should add, weather permitting.

Australia too good for Kiwi's

2004-09-18T22:26:00.000+10:00

This report one day late due to illness.

Australia proved to be too good against the New Zealand team that has traditionally given the Aussies a run for their money. Bowling first, the Kiwis got off to a good start with Nathan Astle scoring 18 runs at almost a run a ball.

Once Astle had been caught in front by McGrath, wickets started to fall regularly, with the Kiwis at one stage being 8 for 124. A record 9th wicket partnership made the Kiwi score a bit more respectable as they managed to reach 198.

The score may have been respectable, but it was unlikely to be enough to hold off the Australians. New Zealand started well, managing to remove the dangerous Gilchrist in the opening over. Any thoughts the Kiwis had of stealing a win were dashed as Symonds batted with brilliance, scoring 71 off just 47 balls. Martyn chipped in with 60 runs from 71 balls, leading the Aussies to a victory with more than 12 overs to spare.

In the game last night, England started well against Sri Lanka. Trescothick anchoring the innings with 64 runs before the rain came down with England at 3 for 118 with 18 overs left to play. The match will continue tonight (weather permitting) with England having plenty of wickets in hand for a final onslaught.

Dropped catches were the story of the Sri Lankan fielding as 3 chances went down. This may come back to haunt the Sri Lankans as the England batsmen cut loose toward the and of the innings with wickets in hand.

South Africa should be too strong for an improving West Indies team in the match starting tonight.

Pakistan and West Indies easy victories

2004-09-16T11:36:00.000+10:00

Bangladesh failed to put any pressure on the West Indies opening batsmen, letting them set a score of 169, that Bangladesh was never going to match. Gayle fell just one run short of his century, with Hinds not far behind with 82.

Wickets fell regularly throughout the Bangladesh innings with Dillon taking a bag of 5. Although the tail wagged a bit, the loss of the first five wickets for just 26 runs left Bangladesh with no chance to match the West Indies score.

Kenya could not hold their form and wilting under the onslaught of the much better Pakistan team. After an early wicket, Kenya put on a 65 run stand. Once that stand was broken, the Kenyans collapsed to be all out for a paltry 94. Afridi knocked over 5 wickets for just 11 runs. Pakistan quickly matched the Kenyan score in just 18.4 overs.

Again we had two matches that did nothing to promote interesting and competative games of cricket.

The real cricket starts tonight as New Zeand and Australia face off.

Sri Lanka easy victory over Zimbabwe

2004-09-15T11:43:00.000+10:00

Sri Lanka cruised to victory over Zimbabwe in last night's ICC champions match.

Zimbabwe batted first and lost wickets regularly up to the 27th over, with the 6th wicket falling with just 85 runs on the board. Luckily all-rounder Chigumbura managed to keep the Sri-Lankan bowlers at bay to bring up the only half-centuryt of the match as the Zimbaweans limped to 191, just falling short of surviving the full 50 overs.

Sri Lanka started the chase shakily, with both openers gone as the team reached double figures. Atapattu steadied the innings with a well worked 43, while the other Sri Lankans got middling scores that allowed the team to cruise to victory without showing any stand-out performers.

The Kenya v Pakistan match was won by the weather, with play abandoned. Thankfully, each match was scheduled with a rest day in case of a wash out. Although Pakistan is expected to win, I'm sure both teams are praying for sunshine. Kenya is proving to be on par or better than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and many (me included) want to see them get as many chances to prove themselves as they can.

The other match tonight is West Indies v Bangladesh. Another ho-hum easy win against Bangladesh coming up. The real action starts Thursday when New Zealand and Australia are the first strong teams to meet head to head.

Australia smashes USA

2004-09-14T13:16:00.000+10:00

The world champions made easy work of dispatching the severely outclassed USA. Yesterday I predicted and Yankee Doodle Demolition and that's exactly what the Aussies dished up.

With 300 balls to make as many runs as possible, the Seppoes lasted less than 150 before all their players were back in the pavilion, with only 65 runs on the board. The only player to get into double figures was Massiah. (He's not really the Massiah, he's just a naughty boy)

It was obvious that the USA players had serious flaws in their technique, which the Aussies exploited ruthlessly. 4 wickets were leg-before as the batsmen walked across their stumps and then failed to make contact with a ball traveling 20 km/h faster than they would be used to seeing.

When the Aussies came on to bat, they knew they had to score their runs in under 12 overs to push their net run rate above the Kiwi's. It was never in doubt as Hayden, Gilchrist and then Ponting smashed the USA attack to the boundary with monotonous regularity.

Only 47 of their allotted 300 balls were required to reach the 66 runs they needed for victory. At the end, we are all left echoing Ricky Ponting's thoughts. What's the point of having these minnows in the competition?

South Africa walks over Bangladesh

2004-09-13T16:15:00.000+10:00

As expected, the South Africans showed the reality of Bangladesh's lack of class in last night's ICC match. The Hapless Bangladeshis were skittled for a paltry 93 runs.

You know you have trouble with your batting line-up when only 2 batsmen make double figures. You also have trouble when extras is one of your best scorers.

South Africa had no trouble knocking off the runs required to win, passing the Bangladeshi score with more than 30 overs to spare. The ICC decision to give the final test spot to Bangladesh over the Kenyans has been widely criticised as a decision that was based more on political considerations that cricket ability. The performance of the two teams since that decision has backed the view that the spot was not based on merit.

There is a huge gulf in ability between the test and non-test teams. The 2 non-test sides in the ICC Champions Trophy are Kenya and the U.S. With the U.S. playing the best team in international cricket over the best part of a decade, it could be a very short game, or one where new batting records are set. The Seppoes had better get ready for a Yankee Doodle Demolition.

As Wisden states on their preview of the match, "some things are in the realm of possibility, others things merely probable, but the USA beating Australia is not one of them."

Collingwood all class

2004-09-12T22:57:00.000+10:00

Obviously, this post is not about the AFL, where Collingwood football club had another disappointing year. This is Paul Collingwood the English cricket player. Yesterday, I mentioned that England showed poor progress against an under-strength Zimbabwe, but overnight, Collingwood lead the way with a sparkling 80 runs in good time to boost the England total to a much more respectable score of 299.

As suspected the England bowling attack cut was too strong for the Zimbabwe batsmen and the poms cruised to an easy victory by 152 runs. Gough took care of the openers, with Flintoff and Harmison cleaning up most of the other wickets.

While India despatched the Kenyans with ease, Kenya stood up and showed some grit to hold out against the Indians, when a crushing defeat looked likely. Ganguly and Laxman lead the Indians to a 290 run total with a 161 run partnership for the second wicket. Kaif and Dravid then chipped in at the end of the innings to add a further 77 runs at almost 10 runs per over.

The Kenyans were never likely to come close to India's total, and it looked like the match would have an early finish with Kenya losing early wickets. At 6 for 74 before the half way point of the innings, few would have expected the Kenyans to hold out for the full 50 overs. Ouma and Patel both scored over 40 runs apiece coming in well down the batting order.

The other big scorer for Kenya was the extras gifted by India. An astonishing 42 runs were added to the Kenyan's score due to 19 wides, 4 no-balls and 10 byes and 9 leg byes. The leg-byes are expected, but the other 33 runs are a luxury that India cannot afford to give away, particularly when they play some of the stronger teams.
Tonight, South Africa take on Bangladesh. Although out of form, South Africa should still win convincingly.

ICC Champions Trophy

2004-09-11T16:15:00.000+10:00

The ICC Champion's trophy kicked off overnight from jolly old England.

As usual for the home of the Poms, the greatest feature of the day was the rain. Luckily the powers that be had the foresight to realise that the weather in wet old England was likely to interfere with the games and arranged a reserve day for each match.

In the matches that started, England was drawn to play the severely out-of-form Zimbabweans. The rain delayed play by several hours before England managed to make the field and stumbled to 198 runs with 5 wickets down before play was stopped after 38 overs. While the run-rate of 5.2 is reasonable, when the quality of the opposition is taken into account, England should clearly have done much better. If not for opening batsman, Vikram Solanki, who held the English innings together with a solid 62, the story for England could have been highly embarrassing.

In the other match played, New Zealand showed that the United States still has a long way to go before becoming competitive in international cricket. A 210 run slaughter by the New Zealand team exposed the deficiencies in the bowling attack and the fragility of the batting.

Tonight, we see the conclusion of the England v Zimbabwe match as well as India taking on the surprise packet from the last world cup, Kenya. England should manage to keep Zimbabwe at bay with a bowling attack that should be too classy for the inexperienced batting line-up. India are unlikely to be troubled and could hand the Kenyans a crushing defeat.

While the ICC Champions Trophy is on, this blog will keep bringing you cricket, cricket and even more cricket. Club Kev, where too much sport is barely enough*.
*Original slogan stolen from Roy & HG.